Violence in America is a
social toxin that is now pervasive in every sector of our society and
has lowered the quality of life for everyone. For the first time since
1970, violent acts against strangers accounts for a higher proportion
of violent acts than those committed against acquaintances (Hughes
& Hasbrouk, 1996). This development, among others, means that our
public safety has declined precipitously and that no one has complete
immunity from the possibility of physical victimization by violent
acts. Increasingly, we must adjust our lifestyles and daily choices in
order to accommodate to the potential threat of violence which, in a
very real sense, is another form of victimization.

Cycles of recurring violence can be traced back in our history to the
Civil War and each cycle tends to prompt new legislative reforms and
initiatives to establish social control of this phenomenon. In the past
century, these cycles and attempts to control them have produced
increasingly severe sanctions (Fagan, 1996). Today, we stand as the
most violent, developed country in the world and we incarcerate a
greater proportion of our citizens than any other country (American
Psychological Association, 1993; Greenwood, 1995). It is not clear at
this point if we are engaged in yet another cycle of violence or have
instead evolved into a society whose culture has embraced violence as a
characteristic and permanent feature. At the very least, it appears
that our norms and attitudes about the use of violence have changed in
ways that make it more likely to occur.

Coie (1995) argues that the youth of today are increasingly coming from
backgrounds where antisocial behavior is normative rather than unusual.
These youth are highly agitated and invested in antisocial attitudes
and beliefs that legitimize violent solutions to interpersonal
conflicts. They tend to see the behavior and intentions of others as
malevolent and biased against them. In all too many cases, this bias
distorts their ability to correctly decode and interpret the social
behavior of others. In turn, they frequently decide to react
aggressively to situations they view as challenging or
threatening--often with tragic consequences. This form of reactive
aggression is a new and dangerous development in the behavior of
today's children and youth. When combined with the easy availability of
weapons, drugs and alcohol, we have an explosive mixture that puts our
society and the public safety at risk.

Today, thousands of students are sitting in our schools who fit the
above profile of an at risk, antisocial youth who is very poorly
socialized to the demands of schooling. Many of these students will
have contacts with police very early in their lives; some will become
delinquent; and others will join gangs and use violence as an
instrumental means of achieving social goals. Schools are poorly
equipped to cope effectively with this student population and the more
severely involved students often hold schools hostage and pose dangers
to other students and staff alike. Schools are no longer the safe
havens they once were where students were free to develop and learn the
skills necessary to have successful, productive lives.

This article focuses on school safety and violence prevention. The
following topics are addressed herein: (1) violence among today's
schoolage youth (2) causal factors associated with violence (3) the
impact of violence upon schools (4) characteristics of safe and unsafe
schools and (5) recommended strategies and resources for addressing
school safety.